


Silence in Your Beating Heart

by Damalia (Achrya)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Biting, Dubious Consent, Everyone Has Issues, Explicit Language, Feels, General lack of comfort, Hurt, Infidelity, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Steve Rogers, Omega Tony Stark, Omega/Omega sex, Past Rape/Non-con, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark has a Filthy Mouth and brain, kind of?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2015-07-15
Packaged: 2018-04-09 11:53:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4347620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Achrya/pseuds/Damalia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve Rogers had an alpha, kind of, until he lost Bucky and then, like that wasn't bad enough, Bucky had to go and die. Steve isn't quite right after.</p>
<p>-<br/>“Cap has his alpha back. That’s a good thing.”<br/>Wasn’t it?<br/>Yes.<br/>Yep.<br/>“I didn’t know Steve was an omega. He doesn’t…” Bruce’s expression shifted, losing the ‘Gonna break something’ look and gaining that ‘I just had a brilliant idea’ look. “I wonder if that’s part of why he’s taken to the serum. So many attempts to recreate but nothing has ever compared. I…” He turned away from Tony, walked towards the door then walked back. “I’ve seen Steve’s blood work you know. I’ve-”<br/>“Well I’ve had sex with him soooo.”<br/>-<br/>What Steve and Tony have is a Thing, but it's not a relationship. Just two omegas being buddies, hanging out, and maybe having lots of sex. No big deal. Steve is still all hung up on his long dead Alpha-but-not-Alpha and Tony is pretty shit at relationships and...look. It's just a thing. And so what if Bucky is back and alive and Steve drops to his knees for that guy like he never would have for Tony and doesn't call for over a month and Tony crawls so far into the bottle Jarvis starts calling for help? That's Tony's business.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Steve

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration: Sons and Daughters, The American Spirit (And the Southern Gothic Playlist on Spotify in general)  
> Notes: I wanted Alpha Bucky with shockingly mouthy Omega Steve and predictably mouthy Omega Tony. It didn’t go...exactly as planned. We’ll talk about it at the end.  
> Pairings: Steve/Tony, Bucky/Steve, past Tony/Pepper, almost Tony/Bruce. ...trust me?  
> Unbetaed. I pretty much slammed this out all at once instead of sleeping. It may be unreadable.

 

_All you lonely sons and daughters_   
_stepping to the raging waters_   
_Let them swallow you forever_   
_silencing your beating heart_   
_Your voice echos in the distance_   
_Over come by their persistence_   
_Sleep now child beneath_   
_the heavy current_   
_dragging you along_   
_ooooh oh oh and then you die_   
  
_ooooh oh oh and then you die_

 

\--------

In Steve’s time being a male omega was, as Tony would put it, ‘a thing’. A thing that got you harassed, catcalled on the street, kept out of the military, and limited your job pool pretty severely. It didn’t help that Steve was small and sickly and, as far as any doctor who ever took a look at him was concerned, never going to carry a child to term. He wasn’t even good for the one thing omegas were supposed to be good for.

There were no pups in his future. No mating bond to look forward to because it was unlikely he’d survive a real mating when he could barely get through his heats without being completely wrecked. He’d always figured there would be no alpha for him either because who wanted an omega who couldn’t carry, couldn’t take a bite, and had frequent horribly prolonged heats that left him half dead?

The answer, of course, was Bucky. Bucky would hold him, wrap him in the warm soothing scent of Alpha and use his fingers and mouth to help him through his heats, was careful with him even when Steve didn’t want him to be.

Project Rebirth had changed things. Suddenly he’d been bigger, stronger...healthy, and that was good. Better than good, actually, because all of a sudden he didn’t register as an omega anymore. No omega scent, no urge to bow his head and avert his eyes, no more body wrecking heats. The fact he’d been an omega was scrubbed from his record, never to be mentioned again.

He’d been fine with his new body until he’d gotten Bucky back and realized all at once that he was still broken, just a different kind of broken. He never asked anyone but he had a feeling that whatever he was now was no more able to bond or breed with Bucky than he’d been before.

Maybe less able.

Bucky didn’t say anything, would never, but it was there in the worried wrinkle between his eyes, the way he’d sometimes scent him when he thought Steve wasn’t aware only to cringe back, the fact he no longer cuddled close and used his scent to mark Steve as his.

It was awful and it hurt and sometimes in the quiet of those cold nights he would have given anything to go back to who he’d been before it meant he could have Bucky back.

He’d forced a confrontation eventually; he was different, yeah, but he still handled things like he always had: loudly, headfirst, and willing to use his fists if he’d needed to. Bucky had just blinked at him owlishly then reached out, dragging rough fingers along the inside of Steve’s wrists like he’d used to.

_“It ain’t you Stevie." Bucky’s eyes darkened for a moment and Steve’s stomach twisted, a warmth spreading through him. “Could never not want you.”_

_“Then what is it?”_

_Bucky blinked slowly then nodded once. “After the mission. After we have Zola.”_

They never talk about it. Bucky falls and Steve wished he’d fallen along with him. It would have hurt less and, really, it makes no sense for it hurt like it does and he knows that. Bucky wasn’t his mate, they weren’t bonded, hadn’t touched or traded scents in a very long time and he knew all of that but it did nothing to stop him from feeling like a part of him had been ripped away. The world dimmed around him, his senses were thrown off, his reaction time was well and truly messed up. He couldn't sleep, could barely eat...he was falling apart.

It was a struggle to function and if he’d still been an omega and Bucky had been his mate he’d say he was suffering from traumatic bond severing and that he was dying as a result.

It was almost a relief when he realized he’d have to set the plane down in the water. He knew it was awful to feel that way, knew he should have wanted to fight harder and live because that’s what Bucky would have wanted for him.

But Bucky was dead and gone and Steve was left and he was tired.

\----

Tony Stark reminded him of Bucky in some ways but in other ways was nothing at all like him and Steve couldn’t help but like him for it. He was smart, too smart, and loud, brash, hated following orders, hated his father (Who Steve was kind of a fan of) and always knew the exact wrong thing to say.

He was an omega but he was nothing like Steve was used to. He ran his own company, slept with whoever he pleased (according to scandalized newspaper headlines), and other than Pepper he listened to no one.

He’d been there shortly after Steve had woken up, taking credit for thawing him out. He’d fought with Nick Fury and insisted that Steve would do better in Stark Tower and not in SHIELD custody as he adjusted to the time jump.

Steve hadn’t cared much either way, hadn’t really cared about anything except that not only had he lost Bucky but now he’d lost everything. He’d lost his entire world, literally. Everyone he’d known had lived out their lives without him, had kids and grandkids and…

He felt like he couldn’t breathe sometimes, like he was still trapped in the cockpit with water rushing in, so cold it stole the air right from his lungs and pressing in on him, threatening to crush him. Sometimes he felt like he was still in the ice.

Living with Tony in the tower took adjusting to but, in the end, it was fine. It was as much a place to stay as any. It wasn’t home but nothing was home so it didn’t really matter. Then Loki happened and all of a sudden Tony was there, around him, in his space and in his life as more than a distant landlord figure. Bruce was there too, hiding from SHIELD and the rest of the world, tinkering in the labs and workshops with Tony, and sometimes reaching out to Steve.

Natasha and Clint were around sometimes too, mostly to pick him up for missions for SHIELD but sometimes to get him out of the tower.

He went along, smiled and laughed when it was needed, but he felt, vaguely, like an outsider watching someone else's life play out. He went through the motions because what else was there to do?

He was in South America when things happened with AIM. He came back to the tower to find things looked the same but weren’t. The biggest change didn’t happen all once but rather crept over things at a slow painful crawl.

Tony spent all of his time in his workshop with Bruce, working on a cure for Pepper and, eventually Pepper’s scent, lemongrass and coffee, faded from Tony. Pepper’s things in the common areas and in Tony’s penthouse started to disappear and then one morning Steve caught her coming in as he was going on and he knew it was because she was living somewhere else. One day he caught Stark shirtless and tinkering with the arc reactor, found his gaze drawn to the now faded bondmark on his shoulder, and knew that would eventually be gone as well.

Bruce left, claiming he had some kind of lead on something pertaining to controlling the Hulk in Greenland, and Clint vanished to parts unknown. Natasha popped in sometimes but SHIELD kept her busy.

It was just him and Tony mostly, and it was strangely okay. When Tony actually emerged from his science projects it was a strange comfortable thing. They watched movies, ate take out or Steve’s questionable cooking, talked about SHIELD stuff or Avengers stuff or SI and sometimes didn’t talk at all.

They didn’t talk about Pepper. Steve thought about bringing it up sometimes, thought it was what a good friend would do, but Tony was unlike anyone he’d ever known and he knew it wouldn’t go over well and their little friendship would suffer.

He also knew that when Tony wasn’t with him he was drinking and he didn’t want to risk Tony pulling away to spend more time in a bottle.

Then, impossibly, he went into heat.

He woke up, soaked in sweat, thighs coated in slick, and stomach cramping painfully. There’d been no symptoms, no urge to nest or eat more than usual or any of the usual preheat events.

He did what he could, working from memory. Dragged towels out of the bathroom and threw them onto the bed, pulled water bottles out of the mini fridge and set them next to the bed, then grabbed crackers from his small kitchen.

It was familiar, except of course Bucky had always done these things for him before.

The thought made him falter.

He was in heat.

He wasn’t broken.

Bucky was dead.

He spent the first painful wave of his heat curled up on his bed crying.

\------

“Hey, Cap?” A soft knock on his door. He picked up his head and squinted blearily at the sound of Tony’s voice. He had brought himself off less than an hour before and was already feeling things building again. “Jarvis said...ah. Jarvis said you’re in heat?”

Steve drew in a shaky breath but could only manage a pained whimper in response. He’d been in his room for some amount of time, impossible to track when he was like this, riding out the waves as they came and cleaning himself up and sleeping when he could, which was rarely.

It was worse than he remembered. Once he’d been satisfied with just fingers and Bucky’s mouth on him but his own fingers didn’t reach far enough, didn’t hit the right spots, did next to nothing to fix that empty feeling.

And he wasn’t Clint and thus wasn’t nearly bendy enough to put his mouth anywhere useful.

“Right. Stupid question, I can smell it.” Tony muttered. “Uh. I can get Natasha if you want? Or...maybe Pepper? I could probably get Bruce back by tonight.”

Steve bit his lip and willed himself not to conjure images of the alphas Tony was suggesting. Still a thrill went through his body and his cock twitched.

“No.” An alpha would be nice, something to fill him up like he’d never had before but even as the idea came something in his hindbrain rejected it fiercly. There was only one alpha and he was gone and no.

No.

Silence and then the creak of his door opening. He stayed silent as Tony crept over to him and climbed onto the bed beside him. Tony smelled like oil and smoke and whiskey and omega sweetness; he licked his lips and sighed.

That was nice.

“Tony?”

“Huh? Oh. Right. You look...well. Yeah. Unfair.” Tony closed his eyes for a second, clearing his throat . “So. No alphas, that’s cool. I’m all about omegas lib, of course. So I’m thinking, and feel free to tell me to fuck off, that you’re in heat and my heat is starting soon and that’s pretty lucky since we’re both unattached so maybe we could help each other out.”

He stared dumbly, thoughts moving sluggishly. His body, however, was responding to the other man; he could feel a trickle of slick running down his thighs and his dick starting to harden in anticipation of someone being there.

“What?”

Tony waggled his fingers then flapped a hand impatiently. “Help you through your heat. I’m thinking you haven’t had one since you thawed out and, by the way, how have none of your medical tests shown any traces of omega hormones and nothing in your files from the war say anything about this and hey, what even is that about but whatever, I’m assuming it sucks.”

Steve huffed out a laugh as Tony babbled. Then groaned at a stab of pain in his stomach; Tony stopped, blinking owlishly. Silence stretched between them, Tony scooting closer in a far from subtle manner.

“I know the 40’s were more uptight but omegas helping each other these days is not a big deal. Same-dynamic marriage is even legal in New York. ...not that I’m proposing or anything, wow no even though you are...unfair, seriously did they fucking copy paste all the best man parts they could find onto one person or-” Tony trailed off and reached out, fingers brushing over Steve’s arm. His fingers were rough and left cool tingling trails in their wake. “It doesn’t even count, really. Doesn’t mean anything. I just...I hate doing it alone.”

His voice dropped to a whisper and he was looking away from him now, staring at some point on the far wall.

Steve stared at Tony, took in the dark smudges under his eyes, the unkempt hair, the chapped lips. He looked like crap, to be perfectly honest. He reached up and pulled the other omega down then wrapped his arms around him. The smell of whiskey was stronger like this, edging on unpleasant. He could taste it in the air, clinging to Tony’s skin. He buried his face against the other man’s neck, listened to the way the engineer’s breathing hitched, then swept his tongue over a patch of skin, tasted salt and skin.

Not alpha.

Nice though.

“Oh. okay. Just let me-”

“Talk so much.” Steve murmured. Tony made an affronted noise and he sighed before sealing his mouth over the other man’s. He felt the jerk of surprise go through Tony then he was being kissed back. It was hard and wet, an open mouthed mashing of teeth and lips and Tony’s hand was in his hair, pulling hard and he closed his eyes as he arched into it.

Alpha had always been careful and gentle, soft touches and soft whispery kisses and this was nothing at all like that.

Tony bit into his lower lip then laved his tongue over it while nails scraped down Steve’s sides. It hurt, bright stinging pain, but only for the few seconds it took for his body to repair such shallow damage. Still it made him moan into Tony’s mouth and his breath stutter.

This was okay.

He ended up on his stomach, Tony kneeling between this legs and fingers twisting deep into him, grinding into the mattress and making noises he’d never admit to later on. It wasn’t quite right, wasn’t what he really wanted but it was better than before and Tony stroked him into a frenzy with ease. Fingers brushed over that oh-so-good spot again and the sheets that were fisted in his hands tore. Tony laughed, a high breathless sound then teeth bit into his hip and he yelped, bucked back into Tony’s hand, and came.

He’s floating, brain shorted out and fractured, when he feels Tony’s tongue lap over his entrance and lets out a shuddering breath. Arousal and sex and slick are thick in the air and he knew it wasn’t just coming from him.

This was good his brain insisted.

\-----

And, absurdly enough, it was good. He expected it to be weird. He’d been in heat and Tony had been in pre-heat and neither were states when the best of choices were made.

But it wasn’t that weird at all, really.They spent five days holed up in his bedroom, riding out first his and then Tony’s heat, and when it was over and they’d showered and cleaned up they’d flopped down and watched TV on the couch together. Ordered Thai food and talked about whether or not Natasha and Clint were sleeping together (“Double alpha spy sex. I bet they get up to things you haven’t even heard of Cap.” Tony had said, looking so serious Steve couldn’t help but laugh) and it was...good.

He spent more time in Tony’s bedroom than his own. He hung out in the workshop a lot and Tony occasionally came to spar with him or just outside to walk around the city. He drew for the first time since being unthawed and Tony loved everything he did. (At least Steve thought he did. It was hard to tell if Tony’s desire to stick his art up on every metal surface with Captain America magnets is mocking or genuine.)

Sometimes they talked about serious things, about the things that kept them awake at night and they had those things in spades.

Tony talked about Pepper one night while they were in bed, head pillowed on Steve’s shoulder and staring up at the ceiling like it was the most amazing thing he’d ever seen. Told him how he’d become so invested in fixing Pepper, in undoing what had been done to her because of him, he’d forgotten all about being with the alpha. Worse he’d started thinking and treating her like one of his projects, a broken experiment. She’d started pulling back from him and moving away, literally actually, and Tony hadn’t even noticed until one day all traces of her were gone.

Steve brushed fingers over where the bond mark, that perfect outline of Pepper’s teeth on Tony’s shoulder, had been and said nothing.

Steve talked about Bucky, about being sick and broken and changed driving away the one person who’d been willing to accept him as he was. Talked about watching Bucky fall and being so tired after losing his alpha (who wasn’t really his alpha at all) that he’d practically welcomed a watery grave. Tony had sighed then looked at him, eyes dark, and straddled his lap to kiss him until he could barely think straight.

Tony talked about the cave exactly once. He’d mentioned, carefully casual, that he was thinking about working on getting the shrapnel out of his chest and getting his heart working like a normal person. Steve noticed some hesitance and, as he ran fingers along the curve of the other man’s spine, asked if that’s what Tony really wanted.

_“I could have stopped being a human nightlight a while ago.” Tony didn’t look up from his Starkpad as he spoke. Steve went still, fingers hovering just above Tony’s skin. “You know I went into heat while I was that cave? I mean, of course I did, I was there almost four months, if anyone bothered to really think about it they’d know.”_

_Tony’s fingers hesitate for a moment then he’s back to moving things around on the screen. “So I’m in this cave and I go into heat and they drag me out of my cell. I’m all fucked up. Or fucked out. It’s a Thing.”_

_Thing was Tony speak for ‘I can’t even begin to put into words how messed up this is and if you would just go ahead and not think about it or try to analyze it any deeper than the words coming out of my mouth that would be fantastic.’_

_Steve got all that, really he did, and yet he found himself growling low in his throat anyway. Tony shot him an indulgent look over his shoulder then offered a crooked smile before turning back around. “And someone gets this bright idea to to rip off my shirt and there’s you know...all of this. Well not this exactly but you know. And it’s just too much to look at or whatever and bam, back in my little corner of Casa De Cave.” A longer thoughtful pause. “Also it’s kind of cool looking, right? Be honest, I can take it. Arc Reactor? Cool? Yes? No? I mean not no, because it is.”_

They never talked about their friendship or whatever it was. Steve tried a few times but Tony would just wave a hand at him and call it ‘A Thing’ that didn’t really even count.

Then DC happened. There were rumors that someone was after Fury so Steve went to DC at the director’s request. He wasn’t sure what exactly him being in the city was supposed to do but there was lots to do with SHIELD and he stayed busy.

Met Sam Wilson. Lapped him a few times before making friends and Tony had laughed and congratulated him on his first non-Avengers or shady government organization affiliated friend. He went back to New York for their heats because he was still unregistered as an omega and Tony seemed to think it was better that way.

Of course Tony was a raging paranoid but...well. Steve liked him that way and didn’t mind occasionally indulging Tony’s insanity.

When a bunch of SHIELD agents tried to jump him in an elevator and then he found himself actually on the run with Natasha (Who, apparently, only acted like she knew everything but then again who knew if that was true), America’s most wanted with his picture all over the news and people, SHIELD agents and police officers, actually shooting at him all he could think was that Tony was somewhere laughing himself sick.

As it turned out when he finally managed a call to Tony’s secure line that isn’t the case at all. Turns out SHIELD is trying to force themselves into the tower via court order and Tony had locked himself down in his workshop with Bruce (who was visiting to escape military types who’d gotten too close to him over in Eastern Europe) while the lawyers fought it out in court.

He thought about Tony while everything happened and he wondered if maybe it was throwing him off. Or maybe the guy was just that good. Had to be good to kill Fury, after all and there was no small amount of rage and hurt there. Steve didn’t always like Fury or his methods but he was so tired of losing people.

It all came to a head when the assassin, the guy with the metal arm who’d caught his shield and thrown it  back at him and managed to kill Fury and was giving him a very serious run for his money, lost his mask.

It was Bucky. A little older, scruffier, long hair and of course a metal arm and an apparent new interest in murder, but it was Bucky. He’d know him anywhere, not just on sight but he could smell it, taste in in the air, feel it in the bit of his stomach and resonating in his bones.

“Who the hell is Bucky?”

But Bucky didn’t know him. His eyes were blank, full of ice, and he fought Steve like he wanted to kill him. Was still looking at him like he wanted to kill him, fingers twitching towards his belt.

When asked about it later Steve would claim temporary insanity brought on by lack of sleep and losing Fury and just a ton of stress in general. And shock. A ton of shock.

His heart was hammering in his chest and he could barely hear anything over the pounding in his head but he was fairly certain he heard Natasha hissing his name in alarm.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *mutters something about adding formatting back*


	2. Tony

\------

Tony watched the news from his workshop, watched the whole fight on the highway play out in real time. Watched the guy with the metal arm give Steve a serious run for his money then (He cut through the side of a van. Cut through...the side of a van.) the mask came off. The reporter in the helicopter that was capturing everything was losing their shit and things only got crazier when Steve, Cap, put his hands up.

Then got on his knees.

And bared his neck.

His Starkpad dropped from his suddenly nerveless fingers. Bruce, his companion since SHIELD had come bursting in claiming they needed to bring him in because he was hacking their files (and okay, he was actually doing that, yes but there was no way they knew about it.) exhaled loudly.

“What-?”

The man with the metal arm took a step towards Cap then another. Tony could see Natasha, head down to hide her face but there was no mistaking that red hair or that somehow scary and incredibly sexy grip she had on what was, honestly, a gun almost as big as she was, watching them.

Then there were cars, lights flashing and sirens blazing and metal arm was in front of Steve, pushing him behind him in what was an almost comical display because really, Captain America hello, protecting him?

But he was.

“Jarvis, off.” He glanced down at his pad, considered the cracked screen, and sighed. “Also start programming another one of those. And call Pepper, find out if my lawyers are worth even a fraction of what we pay.”

He tapped his fingers along the top of his workbench. A hand touched his shoulder and he rolled his eyes heavenward. Bruce smelled like ink, old books, chemicals and something not quite right or human and that had bugged Tony at first but now was part of what made Bruce Bruce and so he kind of dug it.

“Tony-”

“Yep?” He ducked away from Bruce’s hand and headed towards their project, currently tentatively named ‘Veronica’. He had it on pretty good authority that Bruce had dated a woman named Betty for a decade and honestly he thought the whole thing was kind of morbid but far be it for him to tell Bruce what they should name their Hulk Contingency Plan.

Even though he was, actually, putting in most of the work. Aside from all the information on the Hulk and the ‘incident’ that had created it, of course, since that was coming from Bruce. And was what he was basing all of the specs off of.

But beyond that.

All him.

“Do you want-”

“To paint Veronica red and gold? Yes. Yes I do.” And he really did, actually. He didn’t know why Bruce was being so damn resistant about it.

Also why he was trying to insist they talk about what they’d just seen.

He liked Bruce, the guy was maybe his other other best friend (After Rhodey and Pepper and oh would it ever stop hurting when he thought about Pepper? Probably not but really she was better off without him. He was pretty much the worst at relationships.) but they never seemed to be on the same page as far as discussing ‘issues’ went. When he wanted to talk Bruce would just insist he wasn’t that kind of doctor and when Bruce wanted to talk Tony would generally rather dig his eye out with a spoon.

He chanced a look at Bruce, found him frowning so hard it looked like he was about to break something and...oh.

Oh.

Yes, that was a faint circle of Hulk green around his eyes.

“I hate it when you make the ‘I’m gonna wreck it’ face Bruce, I really do.” He nudged a piece of metal, part of their soon to be working scale model, with his foot. “It really ruins the whole calm but kind of sexy professor thing you’ve got going on, you know?”

When Bruce didn’t look any calmer and, in fact, his eyes seemed to go even more green, Tony pulled a face. “I don’t know what you’re thinking but this? That, on the news? Not a big deal. Me and Cap? Not a thing. Cap and that guy? Something that seems to have literally transcended decades.”

Bruce blinked once. “Decades?”

Tony nodded. He didn’t know for sure, of course but he knew, really. Steve wouldn’t be getting on his knees and showing his neck for just anyone. Steve had an alpha and Tony had known that but, admittedly, he’d thought the guy was actually dead. Stupid, considering that they’d never found a body (and Tony had looked into it, of course because that’s what he did) and all of the shit that had been going on with Hydra and the skull and Zola...yeah.

Stupid.

Who just assumed that people who were reported to be dead were actually dead anyway?

“Cap has his alpha back. That’s a good thing.”

Wasn’t it?

Yes.

Yep.

“I didn’t know Steve was an omega. He doesn’t…” Bruce’s expression shifted, losing the ‘Gonna break something’ look and gaining that ‘I just had a brilliant idea’ look. “I wonder if that’s part of why he’s taken to the serum. So many attempts to recreate but nothing has ever compared. I…” He turned away from Tony, walked towards the door then walked back. “I’ve seen Steve’s blood work you know. I’ve ”

“Well I’ve had sex with him soooo.”

“Right.” A distracted nod and Bruce was pacing away again. Tony didn’t know where he thought he was going, they were pretty much sealed in until Pepper gave him the all clear but whatever made him feel better.

And made him stop talking to Tony about it. That would also be nice.

“There’s nothing in the records from the war. None of the people who knew him before have ever said anything about it. Omegas couldn't even join the military then.”

Or. Okay, whatever.

“Sex.”

“Oh. Good point. You’d know.”

“I would.”

“...do you want me to punch him?”

Tony did his absolute best to not laugh and take Bruce’s offer in the genuine spirit it was give. “Let’s not. I’m fine.”

\----

Tony was, actually, not fine. Life had rolled on, SHIELD’s files had gotten dumped onto the internet in what the kids were calling #Shieldgate (Tony thought it was pretty catchy) and then everyone and their mother had disavowed any knowledge of the organization. Their Widow had gone public, stared down congress with her usual grace, beauty, and terror inspiring attitude. Fury was buried but not really because he so clearly wasn’t dead but fine, whatever, Tony was willing to pretend otherwise if that’s what everyone else was doing to do.

Clint was still...well, honestly no had any clue where Hawkeye was, including Natasha. It was really disconcerting actually.

The Winter Soldier aka James Buchanan Barnes aka Bucky (and what a stupid name, honestly.) was in Steve’s custody. Tony wasn’t supposed to know about that either because technically the Winter Soldier was dead and James Barnes was dead and the guy currently living with Steve and Sam in DC was actually a descendant of the dead James Barnes and that little scene on the highway was explained away as Captain America appealing to a potential ally. It was a bunch of convoluted bullshit but people were rolling with it and somehow not connecting the really really obvious dots but Tony supposed all that junk was the last decent act of SHIELD and so it had to be good. Beyond that it’d all been whipped up by Agent Phil Coulson who also supposed to be dead but wasn’t dead and

Wow.

It really was a theme.

He should have seen Barnes popping back up coming.

Anyway, Agent was pretty good at making crazy shit disappear. Scary good.

He didn’t go to Fury’s funeral.

Steve didn’t so much as call.

Tony told himself he didn’t care because it had really really not even been anything worth caring about. Just sex. A lot of sex. A lot of really really fantastic sex and Tony would know, thanks very much. He’d slept with alphas, betas, and other omegas in his time and Steve...well. Steve was a goddamn super soldier.

It was good.

But still. Just sex. And maybe some cuddling and okay, Steve had practically been living in his penthouse and had his own mug and toothbrush and they’d shared heats and maybe that kind of did something to his head because hormones and shit and MAYBE Tony had confessed all the broken disgusting parts of himself in the quiet of the bedroom a time or two and

Well.

Fuck it.

Whatever.

He decided getting drunk was the only solution.

Super drunk. All the time.

It helped a lot.

Or it did until he stumbled out of his elevator and into his suite in search of the booze that should have been delivered and brought up by whoever it was other than Pepper that had access to his suite and he needed to check into who his food and liquor delivery person was because they deserved a raise because, frankly, they were working overtime these days and he liked to reward good service because he was a benevolent ruler

“Bruce.” He pulled himself up straight to his full height. “I didn’t know you were here.”

Bruce had vacated the premise right after #Shieldgate or, rather, after the people who were probably actually Hydra agents had realized they were fucked and had gone running and screaming into the night.

That...that actually wasn’t at all what had happened. That last part. Not at all.

Bruce was sitting at his coffee table, with a cup of coffee. A carton of something that said ‘almond milk’ but couldn’t actually be almond milk because Tony didn’t allow things that didn’t make sense into his penthouse and Bruce knew that, was on the table next to a colorful bowl of fruit.

Milk did not come from almonds.

Was it morning? He’d been down in his workshop but hadn’t been doing anything ‘dangerous’ (he could just see Pepper’s disapproving glare) but last time he’d seen a window it had been night.

“JARVIS called me.”

“Did he? Did you?”

“Yes sir.” Jarvis didn’t sound at all repentant. Tony gasped.

“Traitor.”

“Indeed.” Jarvis said tartly. Tony squinted. Had he programed Jarvis to respond to things in that tone? No no. He must have learned it from Pepper. She was an awful influence on his AIs. The one he was working on now, Friday, was downright sassy. She called him ‘Boss’ in the most condescending voice he’d heard from anyone ever.

And he knew Clint Barton so...that was saying something.

“When was the last time you were sober.” Bruce asked. Tony sighed and shrugged while walking over to him. He plucked the coffee from Bruce’s hands and took a drink. Then frowned.

Fucking almond milk.

“I hate you.”

Bruce smiled wryly. “I’m not sure if you mean me, the coffee, or Jarvis.”

Tony collapsed into a chair. “I don’t know why it can’t be all of those things.”

Bruce looked unimpressed. Bruce often looked unimpressed with him. That’s why Tony liked him so much.

Tony had the revelation (an actual revelation. He was pretty sure angels sung) that he and Bruce should have sex. It would probably be pretty good.

He had some of the worst possible ideas, probably to balance out all of his completely brilliant ones, but honestly fucking Bruce (who currently stood as the only one of his best friends he hadn’t slept with) seemed like it could go either way.

He hadn’t let a male alpha touch him since...all that stuff. With the cave and the reactor and oh so many things alcohol was supposed to keep him from thinking about.

But Bruce was Bruce. That was different.

It said something about Bruce and the kind of man he was that he didn’t even fucking blink when Tony reached over the table, pulled him over and planted a sloppy kiss on him. In fact Bruce, being Bruce, sat rather patiently through the kiss and, when Tony finally pulled back and stared at him, smiled faintly.

“You’re drunk, your mouth tastes like death, and you smell disgusting.”

Rude.

“I might be a little bit in love with you Bruce.” Tony said with total seriousness.

The other man stood up, hauling Tony to his feet as he did. “Of course you are.”

Tony let himself be manhandled back to his room and onto his bed. In fact he was delighted; it was actually going better than he’d thought. He’d expected Bruce to get all guilt complex on him or something but as Bruce yanked his sweatpants down and tossed them to parts unknown, he figured that was not at all the case.

He reached for Bruce, caught the edge of his jacket, and yanked. Bruce complied easily, crawling onto the bed obligingly, then pressed Tony back into the mattress gently.

“Tony.” Bruce’s voice was rougher than it usually was.

Tony tried to focus on Bruce’s belt but suddenly his aim was not so hot. Or maybe there were just suddenly 3 of Bruce.

Could be either.

“Yep?”

“We aren’t having sex.”

“Sure we are. Don’t feel bad about the drunk thing, I’ve had a ton of sex drunk. You don’t even know.”

Bruce caught his wrists and pressed those down as well, firmly but somehow gentle.

Tony decided it was pretty hot.

“You need to sleep.”

“Don’t get all moral on me Doctor Banner.”

Bruce went still, peering down at Tony with eyes so dark they were almost black. “You think I’m saying no because of morals? Really?”

“Uh?”

“Your faith in me is touching. Misplaced, but touching.” Bruce rolled away, exiting the bed and getting to his feet smoothly. “Go to sleep.”

They don’t have sex. Tony whines and pouts and Bruce remains just out of reach but ready to push Tony back down if he tries to get up. He passed out.

Bruce managed to get rid of almost all of his alcohol once he was asleep and cancel it from his weekly order..

It’s actually impressive once Tony let himself get past how enraging it was. He yelled at Bruce, gave what he felt was a really impressive speech about being his own man and damn well being able to deal with his emotions however he wanted and fuck Bruce because he didn’t know shit about him.

Bruce had just hauled him into the shower, turned it on, and left him there.

Bruce was the worst.

Or so he’d thought. 3 mostly alcohol free weeks slide past (Tony had his ways. He’d dealt with Pepper Potts trying to dry him out once or twice and Bruce was good but he wasn’t Pepper good) and then Cap and his alpha showed up and actually that was the worst.

Bruce had gotten all alpha and furious and Steve had just looked deeply deeply ashamed with himself, which made Tony feel a little bit better about the whole thing.

Then Barnes, who Tony had resolved to hate, had looked at him with sharp blue eyes and proclaimed “You smell like you’re mine.”

Steve had looked flustered and bewildered before muttering something about Bucky just kind of saying weird things sometimes and just ignore it, they’re working on it. Even Bruce had been completely derailed.

He let them stay in the tower.

Because he hated himself.

Bruce sulked a lot.

He snuck in more alcohol but didn’t get drunk or anything. Just drank enough to keep him calm, take the edge off.

Tony tried to keep away from Cap and Barnes but sometimes he watched them (he had cameras everywhere and was not above admitting he was paranoid but so far it had worked out for him. Also maybe he liked to watch. Could be both.) and he noticed some things.

One: Barnes was a total fruit loop. Couldn’t seem to decide if he was Bucky or the Soldier and occasionally seemed to sink into some kind of feral alpha space that was kind of something but mostly disturbing.

Two: They weren’t having sex. Seemed to be mostly because of Barnes. They exchanged casual touches, kissed, but anytime it went beyond some good old fashioned over the clothes touching Barnes would get skittish and on one occasion had totally left the building. Complete system shut down, catatonic state. Cap had looked tired and sad. Tony got the feeling it wasn’t the first time Barnes had shut down on him

Tony strongly disliked that he found himself worried about the two men.

He chalked it up to hormones.

His heat came, as it insisted on doing every three months like clockwork. Bruce mysteriously vanished and Pepper was a big fat no (Even if not for the fact that Tony could barely banter with her without feeling like he was going to vomit there was the part where she wasn’t talking to him because of the drinking. And the arc reactor. And because he’d rebuilt all the suits he’d destroyed but, in his defense, if he didn’t have Pepper what did he have except being Ironman.) and it looked like he was going to be spending it alone.

He hated being alone for his heat. He couldn’t help but think about the cave and hands and...it was a mess. When he was with someone he could block it out, focus on other things, but alone...alone was a problem.

But alone it would have to be.

Except the day before he expected his heat to start Barnes was in his penthouse, leaning against his kitchen counter all casual like. He smelled like Cap, like Cap in heat, all warm and wet and slick and

Tony had a host of issues, not the least of which was being ridiculously attracted to other omegas (Or just Cap, maybe). He was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to get hard at the smell of omega in heat.

So many issues.  

Tony glared when Barnes laughed at him and shifted the box of poptarts he’d been liberating from Bruce’s office to in front of his crotch.

“You want something?”

“Steve’s in heat.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “No kidding. You kids out of water? Condoms?”

Barnes’ smile faltered just slightly. “Said you two spend heats together.”

Whelp.

“What?”

The other man looked at him hard then his tongue flicked out, swept over his top lip and Tony absolutely didn’t watch him do it.

He hadn’t gotten laid since his last heat and things had been stressful.

Bucky’s pupil’s expanded, black creeping out to overtake blue and he tilted his head just slightly to the side and peered at Tony through thick lashes, tongue darting out again for just a second and damn if Tony didn’t know that look. He was pretty sure Cap must have learned it from this guy because when the blond did it it was cute and kind of adorable but when Barnes did it was something dark and hot and terrifying and nope nope male alphas fucking heat no.

“You need to go.” Tony said, edging back towards the elevator. “Or I can go.”

“I need you to help Stevie.”

Tony stopped moving, shocked to the point of stupidity for the second time. “Repeat that?”

“With his heat.” Barnes rolled his shoulders and suddenly he looked more uncomfortable than dangerous but sexy alpha. “I can’t.”

Tony squinted. “I can get you pills for that.”

Barnes’ lips tilted downward. “I don’t think there are pills for what’s wrong with me.”

“I know all about that.”

And he did. And hated that he did.

He looked down at his poptarts. Cinnamon, unfrosted because something something vegan Bruce was really the worst sometimes. Looked back up at Barnes.

“Yeah sure. I’m not doing anything else.” Like dealing with chronic alcoholism or not getting over the not relationship he hadn’t had with Cap. Why not play sex toy for Cap and his guy? Best idea he’d heard in a while.

...okay, he wasn’t dealing with the alcoholism.

And it was a terrible idea.

Barnes nodded then pushed off of the counter and took a step towards him.

Tony took a step back. Barnes arched an eyebrow. Tony didn’t give in to the sudden urge to avert his eyes or show his neck and where had that even come from?

Barnes was a fucking menace, clearly.

“‘m not going to touch you.”

“Well. That’s good. I have a robot army you know. Well. There are only 4 right now and so far they just tell people to back up, halt, and get to safety but I’m pretty sure I could get them to punch you on command.”

Barnes shrugged. “You should make sure of that. Maybe add some weapons. Come down when you're ready.”

Tony would do no such thing because if he waited until he was ready or felt good about it he’d never get down there.

\----

And if, when it was all said and done four days later and Tony crept out of Cap’s rooms while the other two were in the shower together and went back up to his room to collapse in a heap just outside of his elevator with a bottle of vodka he’d nicked from their cabinets (He suspected Natasha must have been by for a visit, somehow, all undetected like) and to be sore all over and feel sorry for himself that was totally his fucking business.

It hadn’t been a bad time. He’d helped Rogers. Rogers had helped him. Barnes had sat off to the side in a chair like a creeper which, actually, Tony could get into. The alpha had brought them food and water, changed sheets, dripped all sorts of pheromones that had Tony feeling pretty damn happy  and generally did all the alpha stuff that didn’t involve touching.

It was weird.

He hadn’t asked.

Didn’t want to know.

But not a bad time. Better than being alone.

But a bad idea.

Awful.

He reeked like Rogers and Barnes and the other omega had fucking bitten him hard enough to draw blood so that was A Thing (Who even did that? Steve was an even worse omega than he was.) that meant he’d at least be all Cap smelled for a while. Bruce would probably be back before it went away. Cap smell tended to linger. Maybe a super solider thing.

Bruce would kill him. Them. All three. But killing Tony would be the worst because Bruce would feel bad about it afterwards.

On the other hand if he didn’t kill them...well.

10/10 Would sign up to do it again because he hated himself and reeking like Rogers and Barnes was not...awful. At all.

Tony unscrewed the top from the bottle and took a drink.

He could work with this.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Did I say trust me? hahhh. So. That’s it. I know right? There is more, I have ideas and thoughts and stuff but I feel like this part was done. Like. A really long prelude to something else?  
> Maybe?  
> Idk.  
> Everyone's fucked up and I left them fucked up and I feel bad? So I have to write more and have Tony and Bucky smush together and then have them all smush. This is what a responsible author does, amirite?  
> Sigh. I have so many thoughts/feels about all of this.


End file.
